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This has a lot of similar elements to YG’s previous and critically acclaimed album, but that turns out to be its downfall. A lot of the tracks feel like rehashing of previous songs and while this may create a few gems, it takes the sheen off the album as a whole.

The production is good, but lacks the luster that made previous beat selections so incredible. Each backing is still good and does make a great atmosphere for the song. Moving forward, hopefully YG can choose beats that stray a little further out of his comfort zone to possibly drive him to push himself a little more.

The lyricism is not the cleverest or most versatile, but it is still entertaining. YG has a signature tone and flow that enhances the impact of his wordplay and helps to keep the song enjoyable. A few more attempts at sharper schemes and wordplay might open this up to a wider audience and while YG sticks to his formula, this is still not a bad performance from him.

The features all do well to show their own skills and add to the songs they are on. All put in good verses and help stop things from becoming stale, especially with YG staying well within what he already knows. A few more singers wouldn’t go amiss, but the guests on here are still a welcome addition.

Overall, this is not quite the album people were hoping for from YG, but it is not all bad. There are still flashes of an incredibly talented rapper in here that can hopefully come back to the forefront for whatever YG pursues next.

This release is another showing of force from Meek Mill, with a renewed vigour for success. After a turbulent time, he has shown how he can pull it together to make good music.

The production is energetic and helps keep the pace as the project plays. Each song with similar atmospheres all have a lot of the same elements, but are varied enough that they don’t get confused for each other. Maybe something with more of an easy listening feel would help include another audience, but would not fit with Meek Mill’s delivery.

The lyricism is strong with plenty of wordplay and clever punchlines. With some poignant messages in the mix here, the impact is huge with the delivery and performance aspects boosting them. a softer delivery might show that Meek is expanding his repertoire, but having already added a lot to his arsenal here, it is not a big miss.

The features are great and help with the cohesiveness of this album. Each makes a great effort and shows their own skills, which always fit with the song they are on. A guest from further afield than the rap game would help make some more interesting moments, but this is a small price for the results displayed on this project.

Overall, this is an enjoyable album with some great moments and little filler. Meek Mill can hopefully take this and have a more stable year to come.

This release shows that Quavo can make enjoyable music without the other members of Migos. This collection of songs is full of energy but lacks a lot of depth in many of the offerings.

The production is trap based with lots of highs and plenty of atmosphere. Each beat has similar elements but uses enough different tones and sounds to make them individual. Maybe something further from his comfort zone would show a little growth in Quavo’s music.

The lyricism is good with some excellent descriptions and an interesting delivery to help keep things interesting. Quavo does use some wordplay and other devices to keep his rhymes impacting on the listener, but it can become repetitive, which is why keeping the project short was a fantastic choice. Maybe trying to embellish his words a little more could help push him further into stardom.

The features are excellent, helping to lift this project out of repetitiveness. Each has an excellent verse or chorus, showing their own skills as well as working well with the other artists. Some more singers would help add another dimension, but Quavo does enough singing on his own, even if it it with autotune.

Overall, this is worth a spin, but if the music of Migos is not for you, then this release from one member is most likely not either. Quavo will definitely appeal to his core audience however and possibly gain a few more listeners.

This release shows that 2 Chainz knows his core audience, but doesn’t grow to increase his listeners and therefore earn more money, as one of the songs on here is all about. Something to think about at least.

The production is good with a lot of interesting and entertaining sounds that create a lot of energy and keep it flowing through the whole project. A lot of the beats however are very much within the wheel house of the main artist. Trying to expand his repertoire further out of his comfort zone would make a more balanced release.

The lyricism is good, but is more of the same from 2 Chainz. He has respectable wordplay and his delivery is still entertaining, but his hooks are repetitive and the content is more of the same. Something fresh could give a lot of boost to this release, but it would have to be a big boost.

The features do great at breaking up the monotony that can set in by adding fresh voices and styles to the mix. Each does a good job of showing what they are capable of, but also at bringing fresh energy streams in ot stimulate this project and stop it dropping rankings any further. Some more singers would help bring more diversity too.

Overall, this will appeal to Chainz’s core audience, but does not have a lot to give other rap listeners. The title does not reflect the content and a lot of it will already have been heard before.

This release show more of a softer side of Ross that listeners might not have expected. There are a few of the more street based tracks, but they appear to have less effort put into them than then slower ones that Ross shines on here.

The production is great with a few gritty beats mixed in with the slower, emotional ones. The slowed down ones leave room for Ross to be more creative, whereas there is so much going on in the backing with the energetic ones that the lyrics can get lost. On the whole, it is a good choice to try to balance the productions but if you do, then you should put equal effort into both.

The lyricism is good with Ross doing more to prove he is lyrically nice on this project. While not evident on every track, the verses on this show personal growth as well as a possible increase in skill. Rick Ross does well to flex his lyrical muscles on these tracks, but maybe still try on the more hood based efforts too.

The features are good and help build up the cohesiveness of this project. Each does a great job of showing what they bare capable of and how it blends with the styles of the others on the songs. Maybe trying to bring up new artists could help solidify his status as a rap great, but the guest selection on here is fit for purpose and works well.

Overall, this is a great release for Ross as it shows he is still working on his talents and becoming the best to ever do it. Maybe trying to improve on the formulas he is using for a few of his songs might help, but this works as a project.

This project is a showcase of how talented Belly is. He has got the right feel and talents to bring this emotional and haunting project to the public and make it a success.

The production has an apocalyptic feel which creates the atmosphere needed for Belly to explore his self destructive emotions. The almost empty nature the beats create is exactly what the project needs to land home hard which is not easy with the deep nature of the content. Normally a suggestion of a more energetic track would help show some balance, but that would upset the whole point of this project.

The lyricism is clever and does a great job showing how Belly has grown as an artist. He uses multi-schemes to punctuate his lines and paint vivid images for the listener to experience. He doesn’t make many mistakes, but maybe some more experimenting with his flow could make some more interesting moments.

The features are good as they bring great and versatile verses to this project. Each shows their own ability while showing that what Belly has gone through is not a unique experience. Maybe some more singers would make this flow a little easier, but his selection of guests is fantastic.

Overall, this is a dark view of Belly’s deep, dark self that he puts masterfully into music. This should show audiences that Belly is a complicated man as well as a talented musician.

This project is more of the same from 2 Chainz, but he does do them well. Chainz makes energetic and repetitive music that gets stuck in the listeners head and is entertaining, if nothing else.

The production is bouncy and inspires movement when being listened to. Each beat has similarities, but not enough so they get confused into one big mess. Maybe some more diversity could help further this mixtape, but Chainz has selected backings that give him a plenty of space to do what he does.

The lyricism is to the point and relies on delivery but it effective. The rhymes are punchy but don’t contain a lot of complexity and this helps it appeal to all listeners. Some more complicated bars would not have gone amiss but Chainz knows what his fans want to hear.

Overall, with the features on this mixtape adding a little diversity, this is a good romp through some formulaic 2 Chainz tracks, but it would be great to see Chainz trying something a little different. Maybe on the next one.